Latest news with #Mexican
WIRED
7 minutes ago
- Health
- WIRED
Measles Cases Are Soaring in Mexico
Jul 31, 2025 6:58 AM The disease has claimed the lives of 12 people in the country this year, with the virus continuing to spread rapidly. A child receives a measles vaccine in Salinas Victoria, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, on July 18, 2025. Photograph: JULIO CESAR AGUILAR/AFP via Getty Images The spread of measles is showing no signs of slowing down in Mexico. Between July 21 and 25, the country's number of confirmed infections in 2025 rose from 3,553 to 3,730, an increase of 197 in only four days, according to the Ministry of Health. Experts and health officials in Mexico have warned that the virus's speed of transmission appears to be increasing. So far, the outbreak has claimed the lives of 12 people: 11 in the state of Chihuahua—which borders Texas to the north, the epicenter of the US's measles outbreak—with one more death in the neighboring state of Sonora to the west. Mexican health authorities have called on all health care providers to reinforce surveillance and prevention measures to contain the spread of the virus. Children between zero and four years of age continue to be the population most affected, with 838 infections—an incidence of 8.05 cases per 100,000 children. People aged between 25 and 29 also account for a large number of infections—512 cases—while there have been 419 cases among those between 30 and 34 years old. The latest bulletin issued by Mexico's National Epidemiological Surveillance System, SINAVE, points out that infections have been concentrated in Chihuahua. The border state has reported 3,490 cases, which represents 93 percent of the total for the country. So far, a total of 7,086 probable cases have been counted, in 82 municipalities across 20 states of the country. In view of the seriousness of the outbreak, the government of Chihuahua has activated what it is calling the 'Juarez Shield Strategy.' The initiative includes a massive free vaccination campaign for those between six months and 49 years of age. Over the last week, state health authorities have vaccinated around 42,000 people against measles. The Ministry of Health has also launched its 'Rapid Response Plan for the Interruption of the Measles Outbreak,' a multi-part initiative that aims, among other things, to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnosis to speed up the identification and containment of cases. The plan also proposes establishing controls in clinics and out in the community to break the chain of transmission, which includes isolating probable and confirmed cases in health care settings. Measles Resurgence Is a Global Problem Measles is one of the world's most contagious viral diseases. It spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids or by airborne transmission. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus can remain active in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. An infected person can infect up to nine out of 10 unvaccinated close contacts, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Anyone unvaccinated can contract the disease, although it is most common in children. Initial symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash that spreads over the body. The incubation period is 10 to 14 days, and the illness lasts between four and seven days. Complications of measles affect a small minority of patients, but they can be deadly, and are the main cause of mortality following an infection. They can include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea, dehydration, ear infections, and pneumonia. Complications are especially dangerous for children under five, adults over 30, and patients with malnutrition or weakened immune systems. In addition, according to the WHO, the virus weakens the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to other infections. There is no specific treatment for measles, so mass vaccination is the best prevention strategy. But following successful elimination strategies in many parts of the world, including the US, the virus has resurfaced in some of these places in recent years due to declining vaccination rates. In 2023, the WHO recorded 10.3 million cases globally, representing a year-on-year increase of 20 percent. Until recently, most infections were concentrated in Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific. However, the disease has begun to gain ground in the Americas, with outbreaks raising alarm bells in the United States, Canada, and Argentina. This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
Scottish Sun
9 minutes ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Greggs customers heartbroken as ‘the absolute best' menu item is quietly axed
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GREGGS has quietly axed one of its popular menu items and left fans heartbroken. The Mexican Chicken Oval Bite had been part of the menu for years - but it's now disappeared. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Mexican Chicken Oval Bite had been a customer favourite for years but it's now gone Credit: Greggs Disappointed customers said the item had been their "go-to sandwich for years". The sandwich had contained spiced chicken, salad and chipotle mayo inside a soft roll. It's now been replaced by the Sweet & Spicy Chicken Oval Bite. Greggs says the new item is "packed with slices of spicy chicken breast, pineapple chilli sauce, sliced mild Cheddar chilli cheese, crispy onions, spicy mayo and mixed leaves in a seeded roll". But customers are mourning the departure of the Mexican Chicken Oval Bite still. One person on Reddit said they had been to four different Greggs bakeries in one morning to try to find the item before discovering it had been discontinued. Another customer wrote: "Damn these were one of my favourites. Also one of the few sandwiches my daughter would eat!" A third said: "Well there goes my greggs buying. I used to only get the Mexican chicken in one form or other. "I don't like too much spice, and they were perfect." Despite their disappointment, some Greggs fans said they were enjoying the new Sweet & Spicy Chicken Oval Bite. Greggs will raise prices next week in hikes branded a 'theft tax', as Sun reporters again witnessed brazen thefts across UK Some said the replacement was "very similar", while one person said the sauce is "pretty good". What's on the new Greggs menu Greggs recently announced a shake-up to its menu for the summer. Along with the Sweet & Spicy Chicken Oval Bite, new items have dropped including the Chipotle Chicken Baguette and Flatbread. The flatbread is filled with spicy chicken, mixed peppers, fresh salad, chipotle sauce and spicy mayo. Meanwhile the baguette has spicy chicken breast, Cheddar cheese with chilli, sliced red onion, jalapeños, and lashings of chipotle chilli sauce and spicy mayo. They're part of the Cold Sandwich and Drink Deal from £3.95. You can also get them hot with wedges and a drink from £5. Greggs also unveiled a new three-part breakfast deal. It lets customers pair their breakfast roll or baguette with a hot drink and a choice of side, including hash browns, a fruit pot or creamy yoghurt. It starts from £3.95 for the roll combo and £5.10 for a baguette. More Greggs news Greggs recently said it had had a "challenging start" to the year as its profits were hit by winter storms and summer heatwaves. It also said many consumers are "saving rather than spending" due to continued pressure on their household finances. The chain has shut 56 stores so far this year but opened 87 new branches. It said 27 of the closures were relocations, but the full list of 56 closures is yet to be revealed. Bosses said they're hoping to open between 140 and 150 new branches this year. Greggs currently has plans to grow to "significantly more than 3,000" sites across the UK. The business revealed its pre-tax profits fell by 14.3% to £63.5 million for the half-year to June 28, compared with a year earlier.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- Business
- USA Today
US stock futures higher after Meta, Microsoft results
U.S. stock futures are higher after Meta and Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results. Both companies are part of the so-called Magnificent Seven megacap, influential tech giants. After reporting strong results, Microsoft shares rose to push the software giant's valuation passed the $4 trillon mark. The only other company that has achieved that is chip maker Nvidia, which did earlier this month to become the first company ever to top $4 trillion. At 6:10 a.m. ET, futures tied to the blue-chip Dow added 0.33%, broad S&P 500 futures rose 0.95% and tech-heavy Nasdaq futures climbed 1.28%. More earnings are on tap. Comcast, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cigna, CVS Health, Shake Shack, AbbVie and Mastercard are among the companies set to report earnings before the opening bell. Results from Apple and Amazon are due in the afternoon. More trade deals Some countries are scrambling to strike a trade deal by the Aug 1 deadline coming soon. South Korea agreed to a 15% tax on the country's incoming goods into the United States. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also said deals were made with Cambodia and Thailand. President Donald Trump and his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum plan to talk about tariffs. Corporate news Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@ and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
Los Angeles Times
38 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Reputed Mexican Mafia member charged in killing of L.A. club owner, B-movie actor
One night nearly 15 years ago, two men broke into the Downey home of Hermilio Franco, an actor and nightclub owner. The scene could have been ripped from one of the low-budget, shoot-em-up Mexican films Franco starred in — or the ballads chronicling the drug trade that were sung at his club. The intruders shook Franco and his wife awake. Franco pulled a chrome-plated .45 from under the mattress. Screams and gunshots filled the bedroom. When the shooting stopped, Franco was dead. One of the intruders lay moaning a few feet away, paralyzed by a bullet that struck his spine. The second would-be robber slipped out a back door. The paralyzed assailant was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2014. His companion went unidentified until last week, when Los Angeles County prosecutors charged that Manuel Quintero, a reputed Mexican Mafia member nicknamed 'Snuffy,' was the intruder who got away. Quintero, already in custody on charges of conspiring to murder a rapper who allegedly ran afoul of the Mexican Mafia, pleaded not guilty to charges that he killed Franco while trying to rob him and burglarize his house. Quintero's lawyer, Randy Collins, said his client was innocent of the charges and noted that another man has already been convicted of murdering Franco. 'There was no credible evidence linking Manuel Quintero to these charges more than 15 years ago, and the same is true today,' Collins said in a written statement. If the charges are to be believed, the killing of Franco would represent a stunning betrayal. Quintero had previously dated Franco's daughter, according to a police report — and she was inside the house when her father was shot dead. Born in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa, Franco immigrated to California at 13 and later found work washing dishes, in construction and as a security guard, The Times reported in 2011. After managing small bars in the Florence district, he bought a nightclub in Lynwood that he named El Farallon, Spanish for 'the cliff by the sea.' The club, along with a concert and rodeo venue Franco later acquired in El Monte, was 'an all family business,' his wife testified in 2012. 'I would work wherever I was needed,' she said. 'If I had to wash dishes, I would. If I had to sell sodas or water or fruit, I would do that.' El Farallon became known as a venue for narcorridos, ballads about the triumphs and betrayals of the drug trade. An early performer was Chalino Sanchez, a legendary Sinaloan singer who was gunned down in 1992. Franco also starred in straight-to-DVD films. In 'El Baleado,' 'Chuy Y Mauricio 3: El Chrysler 300,' 'El Corrido del Katch' and 'Una Tumba Para Dos Hermanos,' he played the part of ranchers and drug traffickers avenging the deaths of loved ones. Franco's wife said the movies were more of a 'hobby' than a career. 'Mexican films don't pay much,' she testified at his killer's trial. Franco made enough money to raise his three children in an affluent part of Downey. A Mercedes sedan and Cadillac Escalade were parked in the driveway, and his safe was stuffed with bundles of $100 bills held together with rubber bands, according to a video filmed by police after his death. Franco was dogged by rumors he was in the drug business. His widow testified it wasn't true. 'I was asked if he was involved in anything like that, but I say no,' she said. 'He was a hard-working man.' Around 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 3, 2010, Franco and his wife were shaken awake in their bed by two intruders saying 'foul words,' she testified. One of the men shot Franco, who drew his .45 and fired back, his wife testified. She grabbed a shotgun from a closet and ran out, she said, jumping over the body of a man on the floor. The man was yelling expletives and calling out for 'the other guy,' she recalled. Franco's daughter, Adriana, testified she woke up to the sounds of shots and her father yelling. She ran toward her parents' room and saw a man slip out a back door. She testified she didn't recognize the intruder. Adriana was once in a relationship with Quintero, who grew up in the neighboring city of Paramount, according to a police report reviewed by The Times. In 1999, detectives were tailing Quintero, whom they suspected of operating a methamphetamine lab. When they pulled him over in a blue BMW X5, Adriana Franco was in the passenger seat, the report said. She told the detectives she was Quintero's girlfriend of six years, according to the report. Adriana Franco declined to comment when reached last week by The Times. Quintero served 10 years in prison for manufacturing methamphetamine. After his release, he was implicated in a kidnapping that played out days before Hermilio Franco's death. Facing another drug case, Quintero was trying to get a stake together before he jumped bail and fled to Mexico, a witness testified before a San Diego County grand jury. According to a transcript of the woman's grand jury testimony, Quintero and his associate Larry Trujillo wanted her to obtain $10,000 from a fraudulently accessed bank account. When she failed, she testified, Trujillo tortured her in a San Diego hotel room for several days and cut off her ear, saying he was 'taking it to Snuffy.' The woman escaped less than 24 hours before the intruders jimmied a back door at Franco's home in Downey. The assailant paralyzed by the bullet from Franco's .45 was Trujillo. He rode in an ambulance with a sheriff's deputy, who testified that Trujillo asked in a soft voice if he was going to die. Trujillo said he 'wanted to make things right.' The plan was to rob Franco, he admitted. According to the deputy, Trujillo said he'd broken into the home with someone called 'Spooky,' whose true name he didn't know. Trujillo, paralyzed from the neck down, attended his trial in a gurney. Midway through it, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2014 to 25 years to life. He was granted medical parole two years later and released to a healthcare facility, court records show. Prison authorities revoked his parole after he gave a healthcare worker 'chocolate candy laced with marijuana' and tried to 'enforce prison politics' at the facility, a judge wrote in an order. In 2023, another judge found Trujillo was 'permanently incapacitated' and granted him compassionate release. In 2012, two years after Franco's death, Quintero was arrested in Tijuana and charged with kidnapping the woman in San Diego. He pleaded no contest to false imprisonment and served less than two years in prison. Released in 2014, Quintero stayed out of jail until last month, when a task force of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and FBI agents arrested him on charges that he put a hit on a Los Angeles rapper who was later slashed and beaten in jail. Last week, Quintero's lawyer asked a judge to release him on bail. In a motion, Collins called the conspiracy case a flimsy one, resting on hearsay and innuendo cobbled together by investigators who heard what they wanted to hear on recorded jail calls. Collins described Quintero, now 49, as a devoted father of two who enjoys playing basketball and video games with his eighth-grader son. According to his lawyer, Quintero is a legitimate businessman who owns a trucking company, manages a restaurant in La Habra and pays his taxes. Collins filed returns that showed Quintero and his wife jointly reported earning $300,000 to $600,000 annually since 2018. According to Collins, Quintero also started a charity that gives school supplies to 'underprivileged inner-city kids.' 'Mr. Quintero has personally spoken to groups of at-risk youth, sharing his time, experience and encouragement which has led to helping many of them find hope and direction,' the lawyer wrote. A judge denied Collins' motion, and Quintero remains detained without bail.
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Star street dancer Aiki finds new expression in musical debut ‘Frida'
Aiki is best known for her breakout on Mnet's 'Street Woman Fighter' and for her popularity as a TikTok influencer. Last month, she stepped onto an entirely new scene, making her musical debut in the original Korean production, 'Frida.' For the star dancer, who has long gravitated toward spaces 'where music, dance and song exist,' the stage itself is familiar. But embodying a completely different character was new territory — one she described as 'therapeutic.' 'I realized how limited I had been in expressing emotion,' she said during a group interview with reporters on Thursday. 'My (dance) performances were mostly about energy — focused on joy and projecting strength. But here, expressing the full spectrum of emotions, not only the positive ones, but anger and sorrow too, has been incredibly healing.' The training process, she said, also revealed a new side of herself. 'At first, I was embarrassed when I cried during rehearsals,' she recalled. 'As a dancer, crying often felt like weakness, like losing, you know? But here, tears felt like genuine emotions, and I learned to accept that. It made me want to express not just bright and positive feelings, but also darker emotions on stage in the future.' Now in its third run, 'Frida' traces the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, portraying how she transformed lifelong pain into art. The story unfolds as a play within a play, with Kahlo appearing as a guest on a late-night talk show. Aiki plays Refleja, the talk show host, and within the play's framing device, also takes on the role of Kahlo's complex lover Diego Rivera. At first, she said, juggling dancing, acting and delivering lines all at once felt awkward. But the role ultimately played to her strengths: her playful personality as the show host and her skills as a dancer. Her talents shine most in the standout number 'Hummingbird,' where each actor playing Diego performs their own specialty act. Aiki choreographed her own routine for the sequence, weaving together street dance locking, dance sport Latin steps and samba-based movements — earning nightly cheers from audiences. 'And I like to sprinkle in ad-libs, just to make sure each audience has a little extra fun that day,' she said. Yet, in other scenes, she deliberately reined herself in. 'I worked closely with the choreographer to find the right level of dance for the show, something that wouldn't steal the focus but would support Frida and complement the story,' she explained. Aiki's leap into musical theater also shifted how she views her identity. 'I think of myself as an artist, not just a dancer,' she said. 'I believe there's always a reason why I'm drawn to certain things, and I've never regretted following those instincts. This challenge feels like a gift — it's hard to unwrap, but it's worth it.' 'Frida' runs through Sept. 7 at Interpark Uniplex in Seoul's Daehangno district.
